ABRAM AND
GENESIS 13:1-18
We
have already noted that there were two additional characters introduced along
with Abram at the beginning of the narrative dealing with that patriarch. The first was Sarai. The second is
Now
as they return to the
Abram builds an altar at |
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Abram’s speech: His offer
of the land (13:8-9). |
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Lot’s choice of |
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God’s speech: His offer of
the land (13:14-17). |
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Abram builds an altar at |
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Placed
as bookends in this chapter are Abram’s actions in building an altar to the
Lord. This will be a chapter that sees
Abram demonstrate a heart of worship and a heart of humility.
RETURN
TO
1 So Abram
went up from
2 Now
Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in gold. 3 And he
went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his
tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the
place of the altar, which he had made there formerly; and there Abram called on
the name of the LORD. (Genesis 13:1-4).
God
had already begun to bless Abram with prosperity as had been promised in the
initial call to Abram. Did Abram deserve
this? No, Abram's actions had been less
than desirable. He had departed from the
land of promise, he had gone down to
Grace
involves the receiving of that which you do not deserve and which you have not
earned. By its very nature, grace is
something that you do not merit, otherwise it is no longer grace.
The
return from
1. He had lost his communion with the Lord.
Abram did not build any altars in
2. He had lost his testimony before men.
It is often true that the worst testimony to
Christianity is Christians. While Abram
had been in
3. He had lost his influence on others.
Lot had gone with his uncle Abram down into
Abram’s
return to
What
we see here is the picture of a man restored in his faith. The lies of
• Confess
it. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Acknowledge that you have sinned and that your sin is hated by God.
• Get
away from it. Just as Abram did not
build another altar and begin proclaiming the name of the Lord until he had
departed from
• Move
on from there. Paul spoke in Philippians
3:13-14 of forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies
ahead as you press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus. By contrast, Satan
wants to burden you with guilt so that you will remain at the point of your
failure and never be able to move on from there.
Abram
seems to be a changed man. The Abram who
comes out of
TROUBLE
WITH
5 Now
We
are specifically told that the ensuing strife was between the herdsmen of
Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of
The
trouble faced in this chapter stands in direct contrast with this situation
that had been faced in the previous chapter.
In chapter 12, the trouble facing Abram had been a famine in the land. A famine involved a lack of rainfall
resulting in a lack of provisions. Now
the trouble is of a different nature. It
involves too much prosperity. The land
will not support the herds of both Abram and
Genesis 12:10-20 |
Genesis 13 |
They faced a
famine in the land -- a problem involving a lack of prosperity |
They faced an
overabundance of flocks -- a problem involving an overabundance of
prosperity. |
The solution
had been to travel down to |
The solution is
that they separate -- Lot travels down to the land that is reminiscent of |
Verse
7 goes out of the way to make mention of the Canaanite and the Perizzite who
were living in the land at this time.
Why are they mentioned? Because
it was in their midst that Abram has been proclaiming the name of the
Lord. Perhaps Abram had shared with them
the promise of God for a Deliverer who would come through the seed of the
woman.
Now
these Canaanites and Perizzites see the servants of two believers in the Lord
as they begin to quarrel and fight among themselves. What will they think? How will the name of the Lord be glorified by
these events?
ABRAM’S
GRACIOUS SOLUTION
8 Then
Abram said to
Abram
has a decision to make. He is faced with
the problem of continuing conflict between his servants and the servants of
This
brings us to another question. How does
one go about making difficult decisions?
There are several factors that we can observe in Abram’s case.
1. The Factor of Circumstances.
We have already noted the problem of strife between
the servants of Abram and the servants of
This is how God often works in the lives of young
people. It is a part of God’s plan that
the young person’s mother and father are in authority over him, even though the
parents might be unbelievers (Colossians 3:20).
The objection might arise that an unsaved parent is not spiritually
equipped to offer guidance, but this objection does not bring the sovereignty
of God into the picture. We are not
dealing with a closed system in which God cannot or does not intervene. We worship the God of the universe who is
able to rule and govern His creation. He
calls us to live accordingly and to trust Him for the results (Proverbs 3:5-6).
2. The Factor of Biblical Principles.
The second factor that we ought to use is that of
Biblical principles. We ought to let the
principles of the Bible guide our decision making process. Abram was able to do this, too. He had already been told by God that he would
be a blessing to the world. In light of
this promise, he had come into the land where he could proclaim the name of the
Lord before the watching world. That
proclamation was now being drowned out by the strife between his shepherds and
the shepherds of
This brings up another question. Having decided that a separation is
necessary, where is Abram to go for this separation to take place? We often come to understand what it is we are
to do in the Christian life, but then comes the question of where we are to do
it. This brings us to a third factor.
3. The Factor of Self Sacrifice. The way in which Abram approaches
4. The Factor of Faith.
Abram had developed a confidence that God would guide him. His confidence is seen in that he leaves the
choice to the Lord. He permits God to
show him the divine place through the decision of
Each
of these factors can be seen in the decision of Jesus to go to the cross. The circumstances of His life directed that
He would go to the cross. Galatians 4:4
tells us that His birth took place at the fulness of time. The circumstances of His death were ordered
by the Lord and Herod and Pilate did those things that God’s hand had purposed
and predestined to occur (Acts 4:28).
The
decision of Jesus to go to the cross was also directed by the Scriptures. Those same Scriptures foretold the death He
would die. Peter tells us in Acts 3:18
how God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His
Christ should suffer.
The
decision of Jesus to go to the cross was rooted in self sacrifice. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin,
dying the death we deserved so that we could enter into the life He deserved. In going to the cross, Jesus yielded up all
of His personal rights, submitting Himself to the will of the Father.
The
decision of Jesus to go to the cross was a decision of faith. Hebrews 5:8 says that He learned obedience
from the things which He suffered.
This was an obedience of faith in that He endured the cross for the joy
that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2).
10 And Lot
lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well
watered everywhere‑‑ this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah‑‑ like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as
you go to Zoar. 11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the
12 Abram
settled in the
As
Lot looked to the east of the central mountain ridge of Canaan, he would have
seen the
Why
does the author mention
If
the decision of Abram portrays how a spiritual believer makes a decision, the
example of
1. The Factor of Apparent Delights:
The first factor that went into
2. The Factor of Financial and Social Gain.
The cities of
3. The Factor of Independent Desire.
We never read of
Abram |
|
God led him by means of his
circumstances. |
He took advantage of his
circumstances. |
His choice led to the
furtherance of the divine commission. |
His choice led to the
furtherance of his own wealth and social status. |
He yielded up all his
personal rights. |
He took the rights that
were properly that of his uncle. |
He left the choice up to
the Lord. |
He made his own decision. |
Out
of all the cities of the plain, Lot chose to camp near
Association |
→ |
Compromise |
→ |
Overt Sin |
When
you go outside on a rainy day wearing white gloves and pick up a ball of mud,
spreading it over your hands, the mud hardly ever becomes “glovey.” Rather the pollution of the mud makes the
gloves muddy. Lot’s association with the
city of
The
location of
The
traditional location for these cities has been the southern section of the
THE
LORD’S PROMISE TO ABRAM
14 And the
LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Now lift up your
eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and
eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you
and to your descendants forever. 16 And I will make your descendants as the dust of the
earth; so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your
descendants can also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk about the land through its length and
breadth; for I will give it to you."
18 Then
Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in
It
must be recognized that, to the ancient reader of the text,
As
we come to the end of the chapter, Lot has removed himself from the presence of
Abram and has gone off to live in the area of
It
is in such a context that the Lord comes to Abram and confirms the earlier
promise. Not only is that promise
confirmed, we also read additional elements.
Not only will Abram be a great nation, but his descendants will be as
numerous as the dust of the earth. If
you have seen pictures of
Abram
is told to enter into a discipline of faith.
He is to walk about the land through its length and breadth. He is to walk in the land that has been
promised to him by God. This walk will
be a walk of faith as he acts in accordance with the promise of his future
possession. We are called to do the same
thing. We are given a promise of eternal
life and an eternal inheritance. In the
meantime, we are called to live as though this inheritance were a present
possession. We are called to live as
overcomers because of the One who has overcome on our behalf.
This
is a chapter of spiritual victory. The
victory in this chapter is especially striking when contrasted with the defeat
of the previous chapter.
Genesis 12 |
Genesis 13 |
Begins with
God’s promises and ends with Abram going down into |
Begins with
Abram coming back out of |
Abram enters |
Abram enters |
Abram decides
to go into |
Abram permits |
Abram intent on
self protection. |
Abram gives up
his personal rights to the Lord. |
A test of trust
-- failed. |
A test of
values -- passed. |
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